Mail-box.



F. C. MEYER.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.19, 1010.

1,006,772. Patentd Oct. 24, 1911.

- Inventor COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIH 90., WASHINGTON, 0.1:.

Attorneys FREDERICK C. MEYER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application filed December 19, 1910. Serial No. 598,120.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F REDERICK C. MEYER,-

a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State ofMissouri, have in vented a new and useful Mail-Box, of which thefollowing is a specification.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a mail box whichwill house its contents efliciently from the elements, and maintain saidcontents secure from felonious removal.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for connectingthe back of the box, the front, and the lid.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining thecontents of the box in the back, when the front is swung into openposition, and to provide a locking device upon the front adapted toengage with a portion of said means.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the invention in perspective; Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal section; and Fig. 3 is a sectional detailenlarged from Fig. 2.

The box includes a back 1 and a front 2, pivotally connected along theirupper edges, as will be described hereinafter. The back 1 is ordinarilya one-piece structure, but for convenience in description, it may bedivided into constituent elements, one of which elements is a back plate3, from which outstands a bottom 4, the back plate being equipped withforwardly projecting side walls 5, the edges of which are diagonallydisposed, as shown at 6, so as to position the smaller end of the back 1uppermost.

The front 2 of the box includes a front plate 7 from which a top 8projects rearwardly, the top 8 and the front plate 7 being connected byside walls 9, the edges of the side walls being cut away diagonally, asshown at 11, to position the smaller end of the front downwardly, theside walls 5 and 9 overlapping. The front 2 carries an auxiliary bottom10, adapted, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, to extend beneath the portion 4.of the back of the box.

The back plate 3 is bent forwardly to form a shoulder 12, and carriedupwardly above the shoulder, to form an upright flange 14. F alciformbrackets are provided, each including a straight part 15, secured as at16 to the back plate 3, the end portion of each bracket being lodgedbeneath the shoulder 12. The curved portions 17 of the brackets passthrough openings 18 in the top 8, and

thus, the front 2 of the box is hinged to the back 1 thereof.

The invention further includes a lid 19 adapted to close down upon theportion 8 of the front of the box, the lid being provided with aperipheral flange 20, depending below the plane of the portion 8 of thebox. At its rear edge, the lid 19 is carried upwardly as at 21, toextend above the flange 14. Tongues 22, ordinarily fashioned integrallywith the curved portion 21 of the lid, are bent to extend throughopenings 23 formed in the flange 14. By this construction, the lid 19 ishinged to the back 1 of the box. There is an opening 24 in the portion8, through which mail matter may be inserted within the box, one edge ofthe opening 24 being serrated, as denoted by the numeral 25, to renderdifficult the removal of the mail matter through the opening 24.

The front plate 7 may be recessed, as shown at 26 to receive decorationsor the like, and a transparent plate 27 is held in place by means of aframe 28, to cover an opening in the front plate 7. To the rear of theplate 27, and located'in the interior of the box, is a card rack 29,adapted to receive a plate upon which the name of the person receivingthe mail from the box, may be inscribed.

The invention further includes a transverse bracket 30, arcuate inoutline, the ends 31 of the bracket being secured to the side walls 5,the intermediate portion 32 of the bracket outstanding beyond thediagonal edges 6 of the side walls. The outer extremity of the bottom 4is carried upwardly, to form a lip 33, disposed in a common plane withthe intermediate portion 32 of the bracket 30. The mail matter which isinserted within the box, will be retained therein by the bracket 30 andby the lip 33.

Mounted in the front plate 7 is a lock 34, extended through the frontplate, as shown at 35. This lock includes a vertically moving bolt 36,adapted to engage behind the lip 33, to hold the front 2 in fixedrelation with respect to the back 1.

An upright clip 37 is positioned adjacent the front plate 7, the clipbeing supplied with spring coils 38 whereby the upper extremity of theclip may be maintained in close relation to the front plate 7. Theextremities 39 of the clip 37 are carried rearwardly, and securedpreferably to the lower face of the bottom 4 of the box.

The box may be fastened to a supporting structure in any chosen manner.If desired, openings 40 may be fashioned in the back plate 3, to receivescrews or other attaching elements.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A mail box comprising a back; a front pivoted thereto; a transversebracket terminally secured to the back and outstanding in itsintermediate portion beyond the back; the back including a bottomprovided with an upstanding lip located in the plane of lip.

the intermediate portion of the bracket and cooperating therewith inmaintaining an 15 article within the box; and a locking device in thefront, adapted to engage behind the In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signa- 20 ture in thepresence of two witnesses.

ALBERT T. JOHNSON, Jn, N. O. KLEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). O.

